SWAG: What's in and what's out?

Remember when Michael Scott went to the paper trade show on The Office? "SWAG! Stuff we all get! I basically decorated my condo for free with all of my swag," he says.

Now, Michael Scott may have been overly excited, but not too far off. Everyone loves event swag.

Eric Jolly, Account Manager and Business Development at Proforma Battlefield Advertising has worked in the promotional product industry since 2000. He has worked on both the supplier and distributor side of things and has travelled to trade shows across North America. Here, he weighs in on all things swag.

Why is swag important for events?
Swag is a great advertising tool because it has residual value as a tangible giveaway. People who receive a branded promotional product at events tend to keep them for approximately 8-12 months and and 75 percent of recipients usually remember the brand or logo associated with the products. I like to encourage customers to get products that have staying power in the hands of the end user – for example, a good quality tumbler that someone uses every day at their desk, or a bottle of hand sanitizer in a purse, or a favourite golf shirt that someone wears a couple times a week. For the most part, subliminal advertising is the key to our industry.

What trends will we see in 2024 when it comes to swag/giveaways?
Some of the trends that I notice are the re-invention of products by printing with full colour and digital imprints.  Typically,  the only ways to imprint on promotional products were screen printing and embroidery.  The problem is embroidery is threads, so only so much detail can be achieved.  Same applies to screen printing, which is essentially a stencil used per colour, per imprint and only so much detail can be produced.  Now, printing machines and engineering have evolved to be able to print unlimited amounts of colours, with gradients and fades.  Another benefit is there is a lot less labour involved with the new machines which means lower costs for everyone.

Are there any products that seem to be on their way out, or are a waste of time?
Some of the products that seem to be on their way out are definitely single-use plastic products (plastic cups, plastic bags, etc.).  The surge in environmentally sustainable products has become more and more important to the end user.  Companies are able to give out products that have their brand/logo awareness but also have markings on the product showing it’s made of sustainable products which helps brand that same company as environmentally conscious. Ten years ago there wasn’t a big impact of items that are environmentally sustainable, but that has really changed. Every supplier has divisions of sustainability.

In your experience, what type of products seem to leave a lasting impact, and why?
Clothing has always had a long-lasting impact as well as drinkware. Both products have a long life span.  The main thing is finding the right product for the right demographic. If you give the wrong item to the wrong demographic, regardless of the item, it’s a waste of time and money because there isn’t a need for the product and the promo item ends up in the garbage.

One example: I work with a lot of colleges and one time the buyer was an older woman.  They were purchasing items to go into welcome kits for the new students. Keep in mind these are 18-21 year olds.  She was asking about products like antique type clocks that would typically be put on a mantle – an item that appealed to her because of her age and her demographic. I had to reiterate that these products are being given to kids and she needs to put herself in the mind of an 18-year-old and what they would want.  We settled on Pop Sockets for phones – which was a huge hit and I'm sure every student had the Pop Sockets attached to their phone for the entire school year.  So every product can have a long life span – as long as you provide the right product, to the right demographics, at the right time.

Can you offer any tips for companies investing in their promotional products?
Some tips would be to continue my previous point. Truly understanding who your target market is, what they want but more importantly what they need.  Advertising is creating a need for products; it's about showing an item in an interesting way that the end user thinks they need it. When there’s an event and a product is being given away you have to ask yourself these questions: What’s my budget? What’s the target audience? What’s the demographic? What time of year is it (season)? What’s the theme of the event? Once you put yourself inside the minds of that demographic you can easily find the items that will make the most impact, with residual value.